Enlisted

The Army Training and Doctrine Command's top enlisted soldier, Command Sgt. Maj. Henry J. Goodwin, retired this week after nearly 35 years of Army service and more than three years at the command's headquarters at Fort Monroe. Goodwin, an artilleryman, has held the top enlisted rank of command sergeant major for 17 years. He enlisted in his hometown of Columbia, S.C., on June 7, 1956, and served a year-long tour in Vietnam, arriving there during the 1968 Tet offensive. Goodwin holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina, and his awards include two Legions of Merit, two Bronze Stars, four Meritorious Service Medals and three Army Commendation Medals.

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Micheal P. Barrett told the subcommittee Marines are ready to take the hits. But, for gosh sakes, get on with it so there's no doubt they stay trained and ready for the next fight. Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Micheal P. Barrett told the subcommittee Marines are ready to take the hits. But, for gosh sakes, get on with it so there's no doubt they stay trained and ready for the next fight. Military leaders lead. Politicians can lead too, of course, but usually not before sticking a wet finger in the wind to learn how political winds blow.

Pentagon pay experts and economists have combed through fresh data on the educational attainment and job demands of career enlistees and confirmed a disturbing pay gap with civilian peers working in the private sector. Defense officials aren't prepared yet to release the data publicly, or to say how wide the pay gap might be. But their analysis, so far, not only justify the Senate's call for a special pay raise in October for enlisted grades E-5 through E-7 but indicate that such a raise might not be big enough, or touch enough of the enlisted force.

- The Rev. Thomas Phillips doesn't believe in snitching, but he does believe in telling the truth. It's one of the messages that the pastor of Mt. Olivet Missionary Ministries preaches to the younger members of his congregation in an effort to curb crime in Newport News. "I let them know if they see someone doing something illegal around me, I'm not going to snitch but I'm going to tell the truth," he said. "I want them to know it's a difference. " Phillips said changing young people's attitudes toward police is the key to decreasing violence in the city, and he believes the church should be on the front lines of helping change the hearts and minds of youth.

The tone of his question suggested Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young, R-Fla., knew how the nation's top enlisted men would respond. He was in for a surprise. Chairing a quality-of-life hearing for the House appropriations subcommittee on defense March 19, Young turned to the issue of food stamp usage in the military. Food stamps once were a powerful symbol of poverty in the ranks. This day they would lose a lot of their punch. By Pentagon estimates, Young said, 12,000 military families "receive food stamps to exist, economically.

John Hamre, the Defense Department comptroller, is considering a sharp drop this fall in dining hall meal rates for enlisted members on temporary duty assignments. The daily rate of $18.15 would fall to $7.00, a drop of more than 60 percent. Breakfast would cost only $1.50, lunch and dinner only $2.75 each. All you can eat, too. But a good deal? Not really, say service officials. Meal rates also determine per diem, the amount members are reimbursed for costs while on temporary duty.

Even as war pessimism grows, students sign up for various reasons. Joshua Moore hopes to do Marine reconnaissance and said he'd thrive on "the danger, the intensity of it. "It's like you see in movies -- they go in and do specialized missions," said Moore, a 12th-grader at Menchville High School in Newport News who enlisted in November. "If I go to war, I go to war. I'm kind of looking forward to it ... just to say I've done it." The Iraq war reached its three-year anniversary this spring, and President Bush has said troops will remain at least into the next presidency.

The sergeant major who has been the top enlisted soldier at Fort Eustis for more than three years will retire this morning in a ceremony marking his 27 years in uniform. During the ceremony, Command Sgt. Maj. Dencil L. Gaines will pass the position of post sergeant major to Command Sgt. Maj. Larry Harold Orvis. Gaines, 48, has held the top enlisted slot at Fort Eustis since November 1986. A native of Harlan, Ky., Gaines enlisted in the Army at Fort Knox, Ky., in March 1963.

When Master Chief Petty Officer Bobby L. Scott turned over charge of the USS Thomas S. Gates' enlisted crew on Friday after 40 years as a sailor, his relief did something not often seen at formal Navy ceremonies - he hugged him. "I won't have the wisdom that master chief has," said 16-year sailor Master Chief Petty Officer Alexander C. Ottaviani. "I have the training but I certainly won't be able to take his place." With his retirement Friday, Scott became the Navy's last 40-year sailor.

Military prosecutors succeeded Thursday, on the second day of the sexual misconduct trial of Army Sgt. Maj. Gene McKinney, in excluding the only African-American senior enlisted man in the jury pool from the panel. Lt. Col. Michael Child, the Army's lead attorney in the case against McKinney, said the prospective juror should be excused because he had discussed the charges with McKinney, also an African-American, before the trial, had socialized with him on several occasions, spent time at his house and knows McKinney's brother, also a senior Army enlisted man. But defense lawyer Lt. Col. V. Montgomery Forrester argued, "It's not going to appear good at all that the government has removed the only African-American (enlisted)

I was in college in South Carolina at USC at the time, and I was working at a pizzeria. I went to work and when none of the pizza ovens were on, I asked my boss what was going on and all he could do was cry and point to a TV. He was from New York City. Within a couple of months, I had enlisted in the U.S. Navy. I served four years and landed here in Hampton Roads, which has become our beloved home. Melissa Richard

Pamela Johnson sings her heart out in "Father Breathe," her entry in the American Heart Association's "Most Powerful Voices" contest. Co-sponsored by GMC and Music World Gospel, the contest aims to raise stroke awareness, particularly in the African-American community. Stroke is the third leading cause of death for all Americans, but is particularly prevalent among African-Americans — each year more than 100,000 suffer a new or recurring stroke — due to risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

— The senior enlisted leader of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt has been relieved for lying to the ship's captain during an investigation, the Navy announced Friday. Master Chief Petty Officer David Stitt, who was the ship's command master chief, has been temporarily reassigned. In the past year, command master chiefs of two other Hampton Roads-based vessels have been relieved or disciplined. However, a case involving a senior leader of a carrier is considered unusual.

The Navy has granted Old Dominion University, Virginia Tech and five other colleges a contract worth up to $30 million for work on behalf of Space and Naval Warfare Systems Atlantic. The universities will assist in research and development projects and other analysis. They will complete for various task orders that span 22 science and technology areas. The Navy anticipates that 40 percent of the work will be performed in Charleston, S.C., 30 percent in Norfolk and 30 percent in New Orleans.

— First, the good news: Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan remain committed to public service after taking off the uniform, a recent survey found. Nine in 10 said serving their community was important, whether it was building a house for Habitat for Humanity, being a big brother or big sister or helping fellow wounded veterans. But tapping that reservoir of good intentions isn't always easy, and on Thursday Sen. Mark R. Warner chaired a discussion in the heart of military-rich Hampton Roads to explore possible solutions.

Command Sergeant Major Clifton Young Sr. physically departed our lives on March 13, 2009. He was born April 21, 1925, to Lula Austin in Warren County, N.C. Clifton grew up in Durham, N.C., and later moved to Philadelphia, Pa., where he completed high school. Afterwards, Clifton enlisted in the United States Army in 1943, serving his first tour in India, re-enlisting , and eventually achieving the rank of Command Sergeant Major. He served his country during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, retiring in 1973.

A sergeant charged Monday with murdering his wife in Texas will be tried in Virginia by Air Force officials, the Air Force said Wednesday. As a serviceman, Master Sgt. William Lipscomb is subject to the murder statute under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, a manual of military law, said 2nd Lt. Robyn Whalen, a Langley Air Force Base spokeswoman. Under that code and federal law, the military can decide whether or not to prosecute him or even whether civilian authorities in Texas may try him. Lipscomb, 33, was stationed at Langley and lived in Poquoson before his arrest for the 1986 strangulation of his wife, Kathleen Lipscomb.

Three-quarters of the current force will get a special pay raise July 1, ranging from a mere tenth of a percent for some enlisted members up to 5.5 percent for certain officers. Between those two extremes, pay increases will vary by pay grade and by years in service. And one in four service members will see no pay increase at all next month. Because the special raise irritates more than it delights many mid-grade enlisted personnel, E-5s through E-7s could see a second special raise on Oct. 1. For some, it would be the third pay increase this year, on top of the "targeted" July 1 increase and a 4.8 percent across-the-board raise last January.

Giaconto 'Jack' Ripani, 91, of Williamsburg, formerly of Hopewell, died Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009. Jack served his country proudly in the U.S. Army. He was drafted in 1942 and served for four years. He re-enlisted and returned to Germany in 1946 and was reunited with Helga, who he later married. He left the military again, for a brief period of time, and again enlisted to serve during the Korean War. He retired from the military in 1964. Jack enjoyed sports and reunions with members of his military unit that he kept in touch with throughout the years.

Two wars and an all-volunteer Army is a recipe for thin ranks, but the economic downturn is making it easier for the armed forces to recruit and retain members. Sgt. 1st Class J.W. Weathersby at the Army recruiting station in Newport News saw almost a 50 percent increase in recruits in October and November this year, compared with the same months in 2007. The increase is highly significant, he said, and the economy is a big factor. "If we continue to sit in this recession and big businesses start laying off by two or three hundred at a time, you will see the influx," Weathersby said.